Father of missing boy Lucas Hernandez charged in separate investigation

The father of a 5-year-old Wichita boy who has been missing for almost three months has been charged with a misdemeanor battery that is not related to his son's disappearance, District Attorney Marc Bennett confirmed Wednesday.

Records show that Jonathan Hernandez, 34, was booked into jail shortly before noon Wednesday on the charge. His bond was $2,500.

In a phone call, Bennett said that the charge "resulted from a separate investigation and does not involve the disappearance of Lucas Hernandez."

The DA’s office said Hernandez made a first appearance in court Wednesday morning and that he is charged with misdemeanor battery. His trial before a judge is scheduled for May 23.

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On Feb. 17, Emily Glass — police have said she is Lucas' stepmother — reported him missing from their home on South Edgemoor. Four days after Glass called Wichita police, they arrested her on suspicion of endangering Lucas and her 2-year-old daughter. Prosecutors charged her only with endangering the girl, and Glass, 26, remains in jail on a $50,000 bond.

Police have said they don’t think he was abducted or walked away from his home, where the family had just moved. Glass stayed home with the two children while Hernandez worked out of state for weeks at a time.

As of March 1, 284 children were listed as missing in the Kansas Bureau of Investigation's Missing Persons Clearinghouse. These six Kansas children went missing and their cases are still unsolved.